Everyone Has a Problem
by awillowdeeplyscarred
Summary: A problem shared is a problem halfed. Two teens struggle to cope with entirely different problems. Will they get help before it's too late? Gabriella and Sharpay centric, but NOT Gabpay. Thanks to Baby-M-xo, my writing sister, and Susan for the title. R
1. Chapter 1: School Picture Smile

**Author's Note: **Please review. And thanks to DarkAngelIdolSodapopCurtisLover for the title! And thanks for a _lot _of help on this from Baby-M-xo.

**Disclaimer: **Gosh, I hate writing these things. Can a 13-year-old possibly own High School Musical? I think not.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**By musiclover94**

"Hey, Sharpay!" Gabriella smiled, waving to her friend from the lunch table.

"Hey Gabi," Sharpay said, rather sleepily and sat down. She pulled out from her lunchbox a salad and water.

"That's all you're eating?" Gabriella asked, eyeing the meager amount of food.

"Well, I've been gaining a few pounds, and the musical's coming up and I have to be in shape," Sharpay said matter-of-factly, putting another lettuce leaf in her mouth.

"Okay…" Gabriella looked worried, but didn't say anything more.

Sharpay took out a handheld mirror and opened it. "Ugh, I'm ugly." she frowned at her reflection.

"Nonsense!" Gabriella said.

"Hey Gabs!" Sharpay squealed and walked over to her friend.

Gabriella widened her mascara-caked eyes at what Sharpay's lunch was: two burgers, fries, and a Coke.

Sharpay, noticing Gabriella's expression, said, "I have a really long History test and I need to keep energized, "she took a bite out of one of the burgers "Mmm, delicious!"

The lights went on, bathing everyone in a fluorescent glow.

"I'm off! Toodles!" Sharpay waved and headed to the bathroom.

Gabriella looked at the empty lunch tray and Sharpay leaving and pieced tow and tow together…_No, Sharpay wouldn't do that…or would she?_

"Hey Gabi!" Sharpay said, sitting down on the bench.

"Oh, hey…" Gabriella jumped out of her train of thought.

Sharpay rose and threw out her tray.

"Sharpay, do you have an eating disorder?" Gabriella said seriously.

Sharpay tried her best to hide her surprise, but was unsuccessful, "Me? No," she said, but still looked flustered. She managed a laugh and a smile, the kind a smile that you plaster on for school pictures where everyone looks really strained and hyper, trying to hide something. Sharpay showed a set of straight teeth, but instead of their usual white Colgate glow, they looked slightly rotten and yellow. _I haven't seen Sharpay smile in a while, come to think of it…_

"Ok…" Gabriella said disbelievingly.

The bell rang. "See you during Health!" Sharpay said sweetly and walked out of the crowded lunchroom.

**Author's Note: **I thought this was pretty good, but you are the judge! Please review. I'm sorry if this story offends anyone. It was unintentional.


	2. Chapter 2: The Other Side of Gabriella

Author's Note: Please review

**Author's Note: **Please review! This might be sort of an odd chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Baby-M-xo and I don't own anything except the drive to write this. We also don't own the song "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis, which is Gabriella's ringtone.

Everyone Has a Problem

**Chapter 2: The Other Side of Gabriella**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

I just keep bleedin', just keep bleedin' love

_You cut me open-_

Gabriella flipped open her phone. A flickering box read 'Troy Bolton'. She smiled.

"Hi Troy!" she grinned.

"Er, hi Gabriella," he said seriously.

"What did you want to tell me?" Gabriella asked, some of her zest gone.

"Well, it's basketball season, and I'm not going to be able to see you a lot, with practices and all…" began Troy.

"_And?_" Gabriella asked, a definite note of panic in her voice.

"And I think we should see other people," he said.

Gabriella felt the horrible sensation of her insides melting. She turned a sickly sort of pale and her throat was suddenly clogged up and as dry as the desert.

"Oh-okay. Bye," was all she could stammer out. She hung up the phone with shaking hands.

Her mind was racing. She couldn't think straight. He had promised that, even with basketball, they would still be together. Troy had been her crutch through the years. Now that she didn't have it, she was falling.

She ran to the vacated kitchen and looked for the reliever of her pain. She grabbed an especially sharp knife and a half-drunk bottle of vodka and ran to her bedroom, her mind still in hyper-fast mode.

She took a huge swig of the vodka. Although it tasted disgusting and made her feel worse, it seemed to be doing a good job of taking the pain away. Out of the corner of her eye, a gleaming silver object caught her eye: the knife she had brought up. She knew that this was never the answer to solve problems, but it would help her forget about Troy. She dragged the knife across her wrist multiple times and before she knew it, the once gleaming knife blade was covered in a scarlet liquid.

Gabriella came back to her senses as if a hand had slapped her across the face. She looked around. Her bed sheets were drenched in blood. Her eyes widened in panic and she felt hazy from blood loss. _I can't let my mother see this, _she thought frantically. She ran to the bathroom and ran the blood-soaked knife under the sink along with her wrist_. _She winced at the pain the water caused her. She hid the vodka bottle under her bed, making sure no one could see it. She looked at her wrist and was horrified to see four deep gashes in the naturally tan skin. She hastily opened her closet and picked out a long sleeved shirt. She glanced out the window: a perfect day with the sun shining brightly. She would have to think of a good cover story for her apparel choice. She looked at the clock: 5:56 p.m. Her mother would be home at 6 p.m. She had just made it. She relaxed her unknowingly tense muscles. She dug under her bed and finally found what she was looking for. The I-don't-care attitude started to flow through her veins. The muscles relaxed. Her room started to go blurry…

_Creak. _The front door opened. "Hija, I'm home!" her mother called, putting down her car keys.

Gabriella quickly stuffed the bottle under her bed again and stumbled downstairs.

"Hi madra!" she said slowly, so as not to slur.

"How was school?" she asked, starting to unpack the groceries, which included another bottle of vodka.

"It was okay. Didn't get a lot of homework. What's for dinner?" she asked.

"Chicken," she said, holding it up before setting it back on the counter to thaw.

"That was really good!" Gabriella said, putting her plate in the dishwasher and pushing the Power button.

"No problem, sweetie," she replied, putting away the leftovers.

Gabriella faked a huge yawn. "Well, I think I'm gonna turn in. See you tomorrow morning!" She stumbled up the stairs to her room.

_Flashback:_

"Er, hi Gabriella," he said seriously.

"What did you want to tell me?" Gabriella asked, some of her zest gone.

"Well, it's basketball season, and I'm not going to be able to see you a lot, with practices and all…" began Troy.

"_And?_" Gabriella asked, a definite note of panic in her voice.

"And I think we should see other people," he said.

End Flashback

_No, I can' think of that, _she mentally shook herself. But the same thought kept creeping back to her: _Why _had Troy broken up with her. She knew what he said wasn't true. Last year, there was no problem with them dating during basketball season. _So it must be something about my looks, _she thought sadly to herself.

She pulled her cell phone out of her shorts pocket and went to the Pictures folder. She selected a picture of her and Troy on the last day of school. _Ugh, my thighs are huge in this, _she thought glumly, _and my hair looks like a rat's nest._

She stumbled to her bathroom and rummaged through the topmost drawer until she retrieved the gleaming knife. She dragged it crookedly once, twice, three times across her already scarred wrist, reopening the wounds. It hurt a bit, but it relieved her real pain.

She started to turn a ghostly shade of white. She looked down at her wrist, her vision going in and out of focus. Her old wounds were bleeding profusely and the new ones were bleeding as much, if not more. The globs of scarlet dripped onto the tile floor. Gabriella's eyes bulged and she looked around for a Band-Aid of some sort. She saw a towel hanging on the rack. She nearly fell over getting it. She hastily applied it to her wrist, but it didn't do much to block the blood flow. Her am was an almost paper white and the color was quickly spreading to the rest of her body. The room was spinning in and out of vision. Gabriella's head lolled to the side as the world went black.

**Author's Note: **Well, I told you this might not be the most logical chapter. I had a lot of help from Baby-M-xo, my writing sister, so big big thanks to her! And I'm not the best at writing self-harm scenes, so bear with me. The next chapter will be about Sharpay and going into more depth into her problem. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3:Their Lethal Secret

Author's Note: Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's profile

**Author's Note: **Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's profile. She's awesome!

Everyone Has a Problem

**Chapter 3: Their Lethal Secret**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

Recap…

Her am was an almost paper white and the color was quickly spreading to the rest of her body. The room was spinning in and out of vision. Gabriella's head lolled to the side as the world went black.

_RingRing. _Gabriella groggily opened her eyes and squinted at her alarm clock: it was almost 3 p.m. She jumped out of bed and hastily put on a long-sleeved baby doll top, Bermudas, and espadrilles. She jogged to her car and pressed on the gas. A sharp, intense pain shot through her brain, causing her to veer slightly off-road.

"Darn. I didn't take and Motrin," she mentally slapped herself.

Gabriella once again felt the sharp pain in her head as she walked away from the school a half-hour later with an armful of homework. She sat in her red Ford Mustang convertible and flipped through it. _What is all this? _She thought frantically, leafing through her math sheets. On instinct, she flipped her cell phone and sent a SOS.

Hey, Sharpay!

I was sick 2day and had 2 miss skool. Can I come over and study with you?

Xo-Gabi

Gabriella rifled through the rest of her enormous amount of homework as she waited for Sharpay to text back.

"Almost…there…" Sharpay egged herself on as she applied her mascara.

I'm a leader, I don't need you

'_Cause I'm awesome…_

"OW!" Sharpay screeched as she accidentally poked herself with the mascara brush as she jumped.

She picked her pink T-Mobile Sidekick and flipped it open. '1 New Text Message' it read. She clicked on it.

Hey, Sharpay!

I was sick 2day and had 2 miss skool. Can I come over and study with you?

Xo-Gabi

Sharpay laughed a bit as she replied.

Gabi-

You don't even have 2 ask. Of course u can come! See ya soon!!

Hugs, Sharpie :-P

_DingDong._

"I'll get it!" Sharpay yelled to the empty vicinity and strutted to the door.

"Hey Sharpay!" Gabriella said tiredly, still lugging her boatload of books.

"Hey Gabi!" Sharpay smiled, "It's so nice to have someone here after school," she added, after seeing Gabriella's confused look, "My parents are at Lava Springs and Ryan's at Hat Appreciation Club, which, of course, he started," Sharpay laughed.

"Ugh, I have _so _much homework!" Gabriella moaned, putting down her books with a resounding _thud._

"I hear you. How much math do we have to learn in a lifetime?" the blonde said, opening her math notebook with resentment.

"Ouch!" Gabriella clutched her forehead as another migraine shot through her skull. Sharpay looked worried.

"Gabriella, _why _weren't you at school today?" she asked sincerely.

"I told you, I was sick!" she said irritably, still rubbing her forehead.

"Oh, come on, Gabi, I _know _you weren't sick," Sharpay said.

"And how do you know that?" Gabriella asked, perhaps too quick than was necessary.

"Because I tried calling your cell during lunch, and I got your answering machine. You _never _turn your cell off, Gabibear," she frowned slightly.

Gabriella remembered with a pang of the heart that Troy had called her Gabibear. She self-concisely rubbed her left wrist and felt the deep gauge marks and winced.

Unfortunately, Sharpay noticed this and looked from Gabriella's face to her wrist, a look of dawning comprehension on her face. She lunged for her sleeve, but Gabriella was too quick and yanked it out of her reach.

Gabriella dug for something in her binder and laid her wrist haphazardly next to her. Sharpay used her quick fingers to pull up the sleeve and gasp audibly at the deep gashes engraved on it. Gabriella quickly yanked her wrist out of sight, but the damage was done.

"Gabriella, what happened to your wrist?" she asked shakily.

"My dog bit me," she said, surprised she could think of a lie so quickly.

"Gabriella, you don't have a dog," Sharpay said, now sounding really worried.

"It's nothing," she said, as if shaking it off, "let's lat back to this work," she said opening her science book and opened to a random page, but wasn't reading.

"Gabriella…did Troy break up with you?" she asked quietly. What else would prompt Gabriella Montez to do this to herself? She was practically attached at the hip to Troy.

"N-Yes," she said resignedly, not looking at Sharpay.

"Oh, I am going to _murder _him the next time I see him…" Sharpay said dangerously.

"That won't fix it," Gabriella said unknowingly, catching herself too late.

"Fix what?" Sharpay asked quickly.

"My broken heart," Gabriella said, shocking herself by how truthful she sounded.

Sharpay gave her a very serious look and then said, "Want something to eat?"

Gabriella was caught off guard. "Uh-sure."

Sharpay headed to the kitchen as Gabriella started on her English essay.

A delicious smell of cheese and pepperoni reached Gabriella's nostrils. Sharpay walked over with a steaming pizza in her hands.

"Mmm, that smells delicious!" Gabriella smacked her lips together.

"Only the best out of a microwave," Sharpay laughed.

"Ugh, this is gonna take me _forever _to work off," Gabriella said, tucking into her third piece of pizza, "but it's totally worth it!"

"Yeah, same here," Sharpay said distantly, chomping on her forth piece.

"Ugh, how can they assign us so much homework!?" Gabriella looked glumly at her looming pile of homework in front of her.

Sharpay faked a pained eye twitch. "Ah, poked myself with my mascara brush a bit ago. Got to go wash my face," she said hurriedly and ran upstairs, her stomach churning.

The scale creaked as Sharpay's abnormally small frame stepped onto it.

"98 pounds," she said to herself, looking into the mirror. Instead of seeing the skinny thespian she was, she horrifically saw herself as an obese hog digging into a Big Mac greedily.

Her mind was spinning, her thoughts all jumbled together. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she practically ripped the medicine cabinet and scrounged around for a toothbrush. She spotted a bottle of her mother's diet pills and grabbed it. She unscrewed the cap with trembling hands and popped an overflowing handful in her mouth. It only added to the uneasiness of her stomach contents. She finally located a toothbrush and roughly shoved it down her throat. Her throat gagged and she felt an upward lurching in her stomach. She quickly leaned over into the toilet bowl and emptied her stomach. She shakily got up and wiped her mouth, looking very pale and sweaty. She once again looked at herself in the mirror, seeing is she still saw the horrific vision: she did. It was smirking at her, its six chins barely visible. She panicked and once again dived for the pills. She deposited another handful into her mouth. She felt an odd shakiness as they went down, but she shook it off. She once again looked into the mirror: the Big Mac girl was no longer there…for now. She smiled a fake smile at herself in the mirror and walked downstairs.

"Hey, I'm back!" she said in ringing tones, walking down the hallway as if it were a runway.

"Hey Sharpay!" Gabriella said, only looking up briefly from her Biology sheet she was immersed in.

"Darn, I still have to write that essay for Mr. Gregory," Sharpay groaned, getting the paper from her binder and started to write. She felt a strong lurch in her stomach, as if to retech again, but cleverly disguised it as a hiccup. At the same time, Gabriella felt a strong, painful surge through her brain and a slight, burning pain in her scarred wrist. But the pair of them kept quiet, keeping their lethal secret private.

**Author's Note: **Had a lot of help from Baby-M-xo on this chapter, so big hugs to her. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4: Lucky Escape

Author's Note: I'm back

**Author's Note: **I'm back! Writing fanfiction is like a full-time job! Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's stories. They are really good, but she needs some readers.

Everyone Has a Problem

**Chapter 4: Lucky Escape**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

Recap…

She felt a strong lurch in her stomach, as if to retech again, but cleverly disguised it as a hiccup. At the same time, Gabriella felt a strong, painful surge through her brain and a slight, burning pain in her scarred wrist. But the pair of them kept quiet, keeping their lethal secret private.

"Hey Gabi, hey Sharpay," Troy said, sitting down on the fake-wood lunch table and opening his paper bag. Gabriella frowned at him, being a very green person.

"Why are you still sitting here, if Gabriella and you have broken up?" Sharpay asked, looking at him over her once again massive lunch.

"Well, number one, everywhere else is full, and number two," He looked at Gabriella, who was barely eating her miniscule salad and determinately not meeting his gaze, "I'm worried about you, Brie…"

"Even though you broke her heart?" Sharpay asked nastily.

Troy ignored Sharpay.

"Why do you worry about me?" Gabriella asked hotly, still not looking at Troy.

"Because you're wearing a thick long-sleeve sweater and it's late May. _Something _is up, Gabriella," Troy said seriously, not breaking his gaze.

Gabriella finally looked up. Her face had turned a paper-white shade and her whole body was shaking with pure fear. She slowly rose out of her chair and said, in a voice of forced calmness, though you could clearly hear her voice shaking almost as bad as the rest of her. "I'll be right back….bathroom…." She ran quickly to the bathroom door and hastily shut the door.

"What was _that _about?" Troy asked after a moment.

Sharpay didn't answer. She was staring at her lunch tray, deep in thought, thinking about the conversation they had had a couple days previously…

Flashback

"_Gabriella, what happened to your wrist?" she asked shakily._

"_My dog bit me," she said, surprised she could think of a lie so quickly._

"_Gabriella, you don't have a dog," Sharpay said, now sounding really worried._

"_It's nothing," she said, as if shaking it off, "let's lat back to this work," she said opening her science book and opened to a random page, but wasn't reading._

"_Gabriella…did Troy break up with you?" she had asked quietly. What else would prompt Gabriella Montez to do this to herself? She was practically attached at the hip to Troy._

"_N-Yes," Gabriella had said resignedly, not looking at Sharpay._

"_Oh, I am going to murder him the next time I see him…" Sharpay said dangerously._

"_That won't fix it," Gabriella said unknowingly, catching herself too late._

"_Fix what?" Sharpay asked quickly._

"_My broken heart," Gabriella said, shocking herself by how truthful she sounded._

End Flashback

Why had she been so _stupid? _Why had she not questioned her further? She stood up abruptly and said, "I'll be right back, too," and left before Troy could say anything.

Gabriella let the plastic blade slide further down her now-scarred wrist. The hot, crimson liquid snaked down her forearm like a great, red river. She just wanted this grief, this ever-growing agony to stop. A fresh wave of tears poured out of her eyes, as thick and fast as the blood pouring down her arm.

"Gabriella, I know you're in here!" Sharpay said, slightly hysterically, her voice echoing around the cavernous room. She kicked the stall door nearest to her. She saw Gabriella sitting on the closed seat, looking very gloomy and a stream of dried tears on her cheeks and was slightly swaying, looking very disoriented.

"What?" she asked, sniffing.

"What's that?" Sharpay said accusingly, looking at the now-crimson knife lying next to her, which Gabriella had not had time to hide.

"A knife," Gabriella said lamely.

"What's it doing here? Why's it red?" Sharpay asked, her voice slightly higher than usual.

"It was in my pocket and I forgot to take it out. It's red because I had pasta," Gabriella said, chucking the knife in the garbage. In doing so. She had reveled her still slightly oozing wrist.

Sharpay turned an even paler shade of white. "What are those?"

"I scraped myself on the…door handle," she invented, realizing all to late that the door handle was very blunt. Sharpay realized this too, for she seized Gabriella's wrist and examined it.

"Gabriella, you're cutting yourself, and there's no denying it. If you don't get help, you might hit a vein and die," she said, giving her a piercing stare.

Gabriella wrenched her arm from the blonde's grip, wincing as she did so.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine," Gabriella retorted.

Sharpay gave her another look and then scribbled something down on a piece of paper and put it in Gabriella's palm.

"Here's a physiatrist address and phone number," she said.

"Why do you know a psych's number and address?" Gabriella asked, using the same accusatory tone Sharpay had used on her.

"That," Sharpay began, "is none of your business." The reason was that her family had suspected her of an eating disorder some months ago, but every time she went there, she wouldn't budge.

Before Gabriella could ask more, Sharpay said, "It's ten minutes to the bell, you'll want to finish your lunch."

Gabriella crinkled up the inscribed piece of paper and grudgingly walked out of the bathroom. Sharpay made sure she was well away from the door before turning sharply to a stall and locking the door behind her. Her enormous lunch was starting to churn uncomfortably in her stomach. She was reminded horribly of the Big Mac version of herself. She roughly shoved two French-manicured fingers down her throat and felt the familiar lurch as she emptied her lunch in the toilet. She straightened up and wiped her mouth. She unlocked the door and sauntered shakily to the mirror. The Big Mac version was gone. She smiled self-satisfactorily at her reflection and walked out of the bathroom.

When she returned to the table, she saw her boyfriend, Zeke Baylor, looking at her with a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, "why do you ask?"

"Because you haven't been eating my baking, but eating excessively at lunch," he said, "usually, you eat my deserts like it's your last meal."

Just then, the bell rang and Sharpay said, as everyone shuffled out loudly, "See you tomorrow!" Zeke looked very confused, but didn't say any more.

_That was a lucky escape, _Sharpay thought shakily to herself as she joined the mass of students going up the steps.

**Author's Note: **Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's stories!


	5. Chapter 5: Gossip

**Author's Note: **I'm back! Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's writing. She gave me the idea for this chapter, so mucho gracias to her!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 5: Gossip**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

_Recap…_

_"I'm fine," she said quickly, "why do you ask?"_

_"Because you haven't been eating my baking, but eating excessively at lunch," he said, "usually, you eat my deserts like it's your last meal."_

_Just then, the bell rang and Sharpay said, as everyone shuffled out loudly, "See you tomorrow!" Zeke looked very confused, but didn't say any more._

_That was a lucky escape, Sharpay thought shakily to herself as she joined the mass of students going up the steps._

Sharpay watched as one by one, her classmates shuffled into the stuffy Health room. Her stomach ached with emptiness, but she ignored it. She _must _stay thin.

"Attention class," Mr. Jones said in his wheezy voice to the room full of murmuring high schoolers. They fell silent at once. The teacher, despite his appearance somewhat like a field mouse, he gave detentions away like Halloween candy.

"Now," he said, satisfied with the class's droopy attention, "we will be talking today about teen's problems. First of all, the subject of self-harm…" He went into a long-winded drone speech on the topic, showing the bored class various pictures of people with deep gashes on their wrist. Mr. Jones looked at them expectantly, thinking they would gasp at the sight. Yet the class remained as lifeless as possible. The only pupils who showed any signs of life were Gabriella, who shifted nervously in her seat upon seeing the wrist slitting pictures that were so like her own. Sharpay was looking pointedly at Gabriella, knowing her deadly secret. Gabriella was looking blankly at the whiteboard, avoiding her friend's knowing gaze. Mr. Jones finished his spheel.

"Any questions?" he asked, looking around the small room for hands raised.

"Yes, Ms. Evans?" he asked the blonde.

"How do we help someone with self-harm problems?" she asked, looking sideways at Gabriella, who sunk low in her chair and shot Sharpay a glare.

Mr. Field Mouse, who had not noticed the dead-giveaway encounter that had just happened right before his small eyes, said, "Well, Ms. Evans, the best remedy is to keep a strong friendship with that person, or, perhaps, suggest a therapist if the problem deepens. Any more questions?" He asked the room at large. When no hands rose in the air, he continued his drone on a different topic: eating disorders. It was Gabriella's turn to shoot a knowing glance at Sharpay, who had copied Gabriella's body language and who was trying her best to hide.

The bell rang. Mr. Jones dismissed them and Sharpay wove her way through the crowd due to her extremely small figure.

"I know what you are doing to yourself," she whispered to Gabriella.

"Are you _deaf!? _I told you, it's my dog that's been causing me those scratches," she hissed back.

"_Dog? Scratches! _Those are way more than mere scratches, Gabriella. And you don't even have a dog. Call the number on that paper I gave you, okay?" she said as she disappeared into the Algebra room while Gabriella walked into the French room with a sigh.

During Madame Ingrid's speech about the supreme dominancy of French over Spanish, the class was whispering just loud enough for their friends to hear the latest juicy gossip, but just quiet enough for the _prof _to keep droning on; Madame Ingrid didn't have the sought-after gifts of Mrs. Darbus and Mr. Jones; the ability to keep a class quiet, however way possible.

"Did you hear?" one student said to another, directly behind Gabriella.

"That Montez and Bolton broke up? Yeah, I did…"

"I heard it involved Melody, the head cheerleader…"

"They call him Two-Timing Basketball Boy now, don't they?"

"At least East High's Golden Boy has come to his senses," the student muttered darkly.

"How?" the other asked thoughtfully.

"For breaking up with Mathlete Montez, she always seemed fishy to me…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, always following Three-Pointer around like a lovesick puppy, like they were attached at the hip. Too clingy, no wonder Bolton broke it off, and at the worst possible time too…"

Gabriella was looking at her French book without blinking, afraid that if she blinked, the tears would fall thick and fast…

"So she really _was _pregnant?"

"It seems so. She does look a bit heavier, you know what I mean?" The gossiping pair obviously didn't know that Gabriella was right ahead of them. _I'm not pregnant, though…but there was that time over the summer…no, surly not, she would have known by now…_

"What a little wh-!" Just then, Madame called for attention, finally noticing the whispering pair.

Gabriella raised her hand.

"Yes, _Gabrielle_?" she asked kindly, using her French name.

"_Peux-j'aller à la salle de bains_?" she asked shakily, the marks on her wrist burning, but completely hidden under a heavy black sweater.

"_Oui,_" she said and went back to the lesson.

Gabriella quickly got up and walked seemingly calmly to the door. However, when she got to the deserted hallway, she bolted to the bathroom, her heart and her wrist aching and her eyes brimming with tears.

She quickly latched the bathroom door shut. She whipped out the knife, its handle gleaming in the glow of the lights up above. She quickly ripped it across her flesh, feeling a grim relief at the dark, sticky, crimson substance flooding down her arm, slowly dripping onto the floor. One, two, three, four times she sliced her forearm open, more blood draining from her. Finally, on the last stroke, more blood than ever before snaked down her arm; she had hit a vein. She saw her usually tan skin turn paler, the blood standing out like Kool-Aid stains on a white carpet. She felt a lump in her stomach, as if something was residing there... And then, with a last spooky laugh, she collapsed.

**Author's Note: **I'm in a weird mood today…please review and many thanks to Baby-M-xo again! And _Peux-j'aller à la salle de bains _means Can I go to the bathroom? in French.


	6. Chapter 6: Heartbeat

**Author's Note: **Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's profile, she helped me a lot with this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 6: Heartbeat**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

_Last Chapter…_

One, two, three, four times she sliced her forearm open, more blood draining from her. Finally, on the last stroke, more blood than ever before snaked down her arm; she had hit a vein. She saw her usually tan skin turn paler, the blood standing out like Kool-Aid stains on a white carpet. She felt a lump in her stomach, as if something was residing there. And then, with a last spooky laugh, she collapsed.

The bell rang, unnoticed by the still lifeless Gabriella crumpled in the bathroom. Sharpay bolted out of the Algebra room into the hallway just beginning to hold some students. She looked around, feeling slightly lightheaded by the lack of food in her system. She shook off the feeling and continued searching for Gabriella through the growing mass of students. When she could not locate her after several moments combing through the hallway with her eagle eyes, the dull realization hit her like a freight train. She ran full speed to the bathroom nearest to the nearby French room. She opened the door, which collided with the brick wall behind it with a loud and echoing _bang_. The doorknob left a small dent in the brick. The bathroom was completely silent, except for the muffled voices of their peers beyond the door.

"Gabriella?" she asked shakily. No reply.

Sharpay looked around the vicinity wildly, as if she was going to pop out at any moment. "Gabriella, I know you're in here." Still silence.

Sharpay sped to the doors. Each and every door was closed, but unlocked and empty. Finally, she got to the last stall. It was locked, but the stall handles were notorious for being easy to open. This stall was no exception. With a little wiggling, the stall opened with ease.

Gabriella Montez was lying spread-eagled on the scuffed bathroom tiles. Her eyes were closed and her thick, dark, curly hair was framing her face like a kind of black halo. There was a sharp, shiny object beside her, a majority of it covered in a thick, scarlet good. A part of her loose sleeve was up, revealing her mutilated wrist.

"Gabi…no, please don't be…" She couldn't bring herself to say 'dead'. She pulled her friend into a sitting position. She did not stir. The troubled blonde grabbed the uncut arm and checked for a pulse. Gabriella's heart was weakly beating, at least a full minute in between each thump.

"Gabriella, stay with me," Sharpay pleaded, shaking her slightly, but to no avail.

"We're getting you to a hospital." She picked her up awkwardly and slung her limp form over her frail shoulder. She one-handedly pushed open the door and stumbled into the crowded hallway.

It was as if time had had stopped. The whole hallway, at least three-fourths of the student body was gaping at Gabriella, then at Sharpay. She wished she had thought the plan of getting Gabriella out of East High more carefully, but there was no turning back now, time was slipping away for Gabriella. Sharpay could hear Gabriella's heart against her back, the heartbeats getting slower, growing fainter and fainter.

Without a word to anyone, she weaved in and out of the shocked people and headed down the stairs, almost falling with the combined weights, most of it Gabriella's. She distantly wandered why she was heavier these days…

She was one floor above the ground floor and the doors leading outside the school. She was running as fast as she could when a hand caught her shoulder, pulling her backwards. She turned around and saw a white-faced Troy looked at her, willing himself not to look at Gabriella, who was still unmoving.

"What happened?" he asked shakily, frozen where he stood. As she looked at him, she noticed Ryan, Chad, Jason, Kelsi, and Martha gaping at them like the students over their heads. Her gaze flickered from them to Troy, as she said quickly, "I can't explain now, there's not much time."

She stumbled to the stairs directly behind her shocked friends. No one stopped her, apparently too surprised to move.

She was almost to the main exit when another hand stopped her. She turned around, expecting Troy or another one of her friends, but instead faced a very confused Principal Matsui. **(A/N: I Think that's what it is. Please correct me if it's not.)**

"Ms. Evans, what is going on?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't explain now. There's not much time."

She left him very shocked and confused and ran to the doors and finally pushed them open without any interference. She directed herself to the hospital situated, ironically, right across the street from the school, stumbling more by her weak body and Gabriella's heartbeat growing almost nonexistent.

The receptionist was almost as shocked as the students of East High were.

"I need to see doctors. Fast." She said shortly, Gabriella still slung like a burlap sack across her shoulder.

The lady said something very fast into a walkie-talkie. "In Room 4, miss."

"Thanks," she breathed. Gabriella's weight was really coming down hard. Was she preg…? That would be the only explanation.

Sharpay opened the door and four frantic doctors swarmed on her and Gabriella like bees on honey. Sharpay gratefully lowered Gabriella's body onto a hospital bed. She rubbed her sore shoulder and backed away. As she stood there, the full force of the situation hit her like a slap in the face. A doctor ushered her out of the room a couple minutes later. She found herself in a brightly lit waiting room. It was almost empty except for a small, mousy older woman, who was blowing her nose on an elaborate handkerchief. Sharpay sat in stunned silence for what seemed like days. A small _ding _by the front door drew her eyes to the front of the room. Troy was walking in, looking very frazzled and ghostlike.

"How is she?" he asked, stumbling over to Sharpay and taking a seat.

"I have no idea. They haven't let me in yet."

As if on command, the same doctor who had taken Sharpay out of the room came into the waiting room.

"You can come in now, Ms. Evans," she said. She made no objection when Troy followed the blonde.

They entered the room fearfully. Gabriella was lying on the bleached sheets, her eyes shut. There were half a dozen IV needles sticking out of her.

"What happened?" Troy asked, too in chock to say any more.

"I found Gabriella unconscious in the bathroom by the French room and brought her here," she said simply.

"Sharpay, people just don't fall unconscious because of nothing. What caused it?" He looked deep into her eyes.

Sharpay took a deep breath and told him the full story, all the suspicions she had had, _everything._

Troy didn't speak for several minutes afterward, but then said quickly, as if it was causing him great pain to say it, "This is all my fault."

"What?" she said, stunned by this proposition.

"If I hadn't broken up with her, she wouldn't be like this."

"I don't think you caused this, Troy. At least not directly. It must have been something she heard about in French class, because I found her there right after she had the class, during passing period." Sharpay said slowly.

Troy didn't respond, but just held Gabriella's pale hand. Her sleeve moved slightly with the movement of Gabriella's hand and exposed the fresh wounds on his ex-girlfriend's wrist. He looked shocked for a moment and then her arm went even more limp than before and the heart machine she was attached to went flat line, producing an ominous _beep_.

Sharpay leaped to the door, yanked it open, stuck her head out and yelled, "DOCTOR!" to the once again stunned vicinity.

**Author's Note: **Be prepared for many more plot twists, readers. Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's stories. And ideas are always welcome. There will be more about Sharpay's struggle in future chapters, maybe not the next one, but probably the one after that.


	7. Chapter 7: Should I Eat That?

**Author's Note: **Please review and Check out Baby-M-xo's stories, she helped me a lot with this chapter.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 7: Should I Eat That?**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

_Last Chapter…_

Troy didn't respond, but just held Gabriella's pale hand. Her sleeve moved slightly with the movement of Gabriella's hand and exposed the fresh wounds on his ex-girlfriend's wrist. He looked shocked for a moment and then her arm went even more limp than before and the heart machine she was attached to went flat line, producing an ominous _beep_.

Sharpay leaped to the door, yanked it open, stuck her head out and yelled, "DOCTOR!" to the once again stunned vicinity.

--

Three doctors, rushing in to see what was the matter, shunted her aside once again. They saw the flatline on the heart display and immediately began to get to work. They were so busy, they didn't notice Troy and Sharpay in a corner of the room. Troy looked paler than ever, convinced that he had caused more hardships for his ex-girlfriend. Sharpay was deep in thought, looking at the tile floor, but not really seeing it. Why had Gabriella gone into the bathroom and (maybe) had put an end to her life? What had she heard in French? She thought hard of the class list. She had been in there once before, having to deliver something to Madame Ingrid. There were several students who only enrolled in the class because their friends were doing it, and they were big on gossiping. But what could they be gossiping on about Gabriella? She remembered how heavy Gabriella was as she was carrying her down the stairs. Gabriella had always been a petite teen, though…Why had she gained so much weight in such a small amount of time?

The answer, however far-fetched it sounded, hit her hard: Gabriella was pregnant, she was sure of it. And it was obviously Troy's, she would never cheat on him in a million years. Had she taken a test yet? She wasn't sure…She must have not wanted to be another pregnant teenager, another statistic. She may have heard about her own breakup with Troy, that was bound to set her off, they had almost been inseparable. She had wanted to just end it, just end everything…And she may have succeeded.

The team of doctors had, by the looks and sound of it, not saved Gabriella. The heartbeat machine still remained silent. Troy was still white-faced, looking at the floor. Sharpay yearned to tell him what she had just figured out, that he had somewhat caused this…but he didn't even know she was pregnant…and Gabriella, if she made it, would be the one to tell him.

A resounding beep arose from the machine. Gabriella was stable. The doctors moved away, looking frantic and tired, and one of them came over to her and told her that she was okay for now. Troy looked up, but was still white-faced and had a hollow look about him.

Sharpay went home after some more hours beside her friend's side. Troy stayed there, holding Gabriella's hand for hours on end.

"Hi sweetie! How was school?" her mother asked her, taking something out of the oven.

Sharpay stood stock-still. How was school? That was an understatement. She cast a side-glance at her brother, who silently signaled to not tell her the truth.

"It was great," she smiled weakly, once again revealing her rotting, once pure white, teeth.

Mrs. Evans, who had noticed her teeth, said, "Sharpay, what happened to your teeth?"

Sharpay backed away, holding a hand over her closed mouth. "Nothing, Mom."

"I made a big dinner, and you better eat it." Enchante said warningly.

Sharpay caught a look at the calorie and carbohydrate-filled dinner. _Should I eat that? _she thought warily. But she felt a strong, overcoming sense of hunger and said "Okay," knowing what she would have to do later, the normal routine.

"Sharpay, can you pass the mashed potatos?" Ryan asked his sister worriedly.

"Sure," she said and passed the bowl to him. Her plate was overloaded with everything on the table, every area of the white surface was covered. Every one of her family members looked at her with worry, but looked away when she spotted them in the act, but they always returned.

"That was a really good dinner, Mom," Sharpay said sincerely, placing her clean dish in the dishwasher.

"Thanks," her mother said, eying her suspiciously.

Sharpay headed down the hall. Her mother would think she was going to the living room, but there was a bathroom in a corner on a wall out of sight of the kitchen. Sharpay slyly slipped into the bathroom out of sight of her mother's watchful eyes.

She avoided looking in the mirror, but her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own and brought them to the mirror. She saw the Big Mac-eating Sharpay worse then ever before, getting teased by everyone at school because of her weight. She had a sudden wave of of madness shoot through her brain.

She bolted a couple of steps toward the toilet and kneeled down in front of it. Her stomach knew what to do. Again and again, she hacked up her over large dinner. Then, a piece of something caught in her throat, forming a sort of blockade between her throat and the air. Sharpay watched her hands turn a deathly sort of blue. She fell backward onto the cold, tile floor, still breathless, staring at the cracked ceiling. She hit her cranium on the edge of the bathtub. Her head fell with a dull _thunk _on the floor and Sharpay's world went dark.

**Author's Note: **Please review and check out Baby-M-xo's stories. Review!


	8. Chapter 8: The Path Ahead

**Author's Note: **Please review!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 8: The Path Ahead**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

_Last Chapter…_

Then, a piece of something caught in her throat, forming a sort of blockade between her throat and the air. Sharpay watched her hands turn a deathly sort of blue. She fell backward onto the cold, tile floor, still breathless, staring at the cracked ceiling. She hit her cranium on the edge of the bathtub. Her head fell with a dull _thunk _on the floor and Sharpay's world went dark.

--

Ryan was in his room, perfecting his jazz square, when he realized that he hadn't seen Sharpay since dinner ended. She was always in the room across from his, singing loudly, perfecting her vocal chords for whatever theatre even was coming up. He knew she wasn't watching television, the only time she flipped that on was to watch the Tony's, and those had happened last week. Midway through a square, it hit him like a freight train.

He pulled open his door and bolted down the stairs toward the bathroom nearest the kitchen. He almost ran into the closed door. To his horror, the door was locked. He frantically searched for the key to it. He saw it glimmering at him tantalizingly, on a high shelf. How had it ended up there?

He grabbed it and shoved it in the keyhole. With a little jiggling, it was unlocked. He pushed open the door and found his twin sister sprawled on the tile floor, a bottle of pills next to her, her delicate hands blue and her long blonde hair framing her face like an eerie halo. She wasn't breathing.

"Sharpay…" he said, feeling like he just had the wind knocked out of him. He seized her skinny shoulders and shook them. Sharpay's head just lolled to the side.

Ryan looked frantically around the room, trying to fond something to help his sister, who still wasn't breathing and seemed to grow bluer with each second ticking by. He couldn't find anything, but something hit him, along with a shameful feeling of stupidity.

He picked the frail blonde up awkwardly around the waist. She weighed almost nothing, her feet hovering an inch or so above the ground. He adjusted his grip until it was just below her chest and did an upward push **(The Heimlich Maneuver)**. Sharpay still remained rag doll-like. He did it again. Still nothing.

A third time, Sharpay gagged something up and gave a little gasp of life. Ryan spun her around to face her. She still looked very pale and had a blue tinge to her face. Her brown eyes were slightly bulged and she was gasping for air. She staggered around and said, "Ryan!" as if this happened every day.

Ryan looked beyond relief. "Sharpay, what happened?" He gave her a hardened stare.

"Um…I slipped on the floor and hit my head…?" Sharpay was never a good liar.

"Shar, the floor is perfectly dry," he stated.

"I wasn't doing what you thought I was doing," Sharpay said angrily, looking at her brother full on in the face, but you could still tell she was lying.

"I'm taking you to a hospital," Ryan said commandingly, taking a hold of one of her small arms and dragging her out the door. Sharpay used what little body weight she had to resist.

"Sharpay, you have a problem," he said, still holding her arm.

"I do _not!_" she said hotly. She yanked her arm out of his grip and swung open the door before her twin could stop her. Ryan sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Sharpay looked down at the two bottles of diet pills she had in her bony hand. She had swiped them from the floor when Ryan wasn't looking. She sprinted to her room, opened the door and locked it once inside. She sat down on her bed and stuck her hand into the container, sort of like a deadly cookie jar.

She took an overflowing handful and downed them in her mouth. They all fell one by one into her system with a sickening thud. Again and again she took handfuls upon handfuls of the drug.

She felt her system react to the chemicals. It gave several involuntary jerks and Sharpay felt like barfing again, but didn't. They were diet pills after all. She swallowed a few more before stumbling to the door. She hobbled down the steps and out the door, yelling, "I'm going to visit Gabriella," to the quiet house.

The shaky blonde opened the hospital door and saw her best friend lying unmoving, but breathing, on the bed. There was a large scarlet-filled bag on a hook. The bag connected with a tube in Gabriella's injured arm.

"Gabriella?"

"Sharpay…is that you?" the brunette asked groggily, her eyes still closed.

"Yeah."

"When am I getting out of here?"

"Your doctor said in a week and a half," Sharpay said, giving her a sympathetic hand squeeze.

A single tear fell from Gabriella's still-closed eye.

"What's wrong?" Sharpay asked worriedly.

"It's just…" Gabriella sniffed, "I just want it to end…"

Sharpay's eyes widened. "Gabi, that's…not the right thing…"

Gabriella's weakness was gone in a flash as Sharpay said this. She said annoyingly to her friend, "Not _that _way, Sharpay, geez. I just want to get out of the hospital."

Instead of backing down, she took a leaf from Ryan's book and said, "Gabriella, you have a problem. I know it."

Gabriella opened her eyes. They had a hollow, bloodshot look to them. "I don't have a problem, Sharpay. _You're _just paranoid!"

Sharpay took a deep breath. She knew it wasn't tight to argue with someone in the hospital, even if the said person was lying. "I'll be back tomorrow, Gabriella, okay?" Her eyes were closed.

"Fine," Gabriella said huffily, glaring at the blonde. Sharpay did her best to ignore it. She stood up and walked to the door.

As she was walking out the front gates of the center, she rifled in her purse for the pills. She took another handful and shoved them down her throat, the capsules squirming down her throat. The path ahead was fuzzy and floating in and out if focus, but she walked to it, accepting it wholeheartedly.

**Author's Note: **I liked this chapter more than any of the other one's I've written today. Maybe it's just because I like writing this story, oddly enough. Please review and check out Baby-M-xo. REVIEW!


	9. Chapter 9: Symbols

**Author's Note:** I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review.

**Disclaimer: **I own the plot (YESSS!!). But nothing else, unfortunately.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 9: Symbols**

**By musiclover94**

She took another handful and shoved them down her throat, the capsules squirming down her throat. The path ahead was fuzzy and floating in and out if focus, but she walked to it, accepting it wholeheartedly.

Gabriella scowled as she heard Sharpay's approaching stiletto footsteps the next day, just as she said she would. The door opened and the rail-thin blonde stepped onto the cold tile, seeing as it was early morning.

"I have news. Good news," she said, sitting down in a chair.

"What is it?" she asked gruffly, refusing to look at her friend.

"You're getting released tomorrow!" she said, trying to sound happy.

"You make it sound like it's more of a jail then it is."

"It's not a jail. You're here to get better," she said, using the age-old excuse for the whitewashed halls of horror, at least to teens.

"Fat chance of _that _happening. Do I _look _any better to you?"

Sharpay had to agree with Gabriella on that one. Truthfully, she looked worse. Her once perfectly tan skin had a gray tinge to it, her brown eyes had a bloodshot and hardened look to them, and the thing that Sharpay's eyes lingered on the longest, the slight sticking-out of Gabriella's stomach. Not wanting to estrange her friend further, she took a deep breath and said, "You look a lot better, Gabs." Total Lie.

Gabriella could see right through her though, and not just because of the lack of meat on her bones. "That's a lie. I'm getting worse, and you know it." She pointed to Sharpay as she said this, and revealed several scars on her wrist; several of them were still glistening scarlet…

"Gabriella," she said, her eyes widening at the gashes, "are you cutti-?"

"No, I'm not. So drop it, okay? Okay," she said, glaring at the troubled blonde.

The door opened yet again and a friendly-looking nurse poked her head in and said, "Ms…Evans, is it?"

"Yeah," she said. Gabriella was still glowering at her.

"Visiting hours are over, and they begin tomorrow at 11 a.m." she said kindly.

"Okay." Sharpay stood up on her thin legs and said to a still-angry Gabriella, "I'll be back soon. All of the others should be here, too, because it's finally the weekend. Ryan, and Taylor, and Troy, and ev…"

Upon seeing Gabriella's bloodshot eyes tear up, she said quickly and sincerely, "Oh my god, Gabriella, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have mentio…!"

The brunette quickly shook her head, keeping the tears at bay, and said with an annoyed tone, "God, I'm _fine, _Gabriella! Just because I'm in a hospital doesn't mean I'm an emotional wreck!" She glowered at her again.

"I didn't mean it like that, Gabriella," Sharpay said quietly. "I'll see you later, okay."

Gabriella said nothing. Sharpay walked with a _click-clack _of her heels on the off-white tiles.

As soon as the door fully closed behind Sharpay, Gabriella's eyes let loose. The fat tears fell down her face from her chocolate-brown eyes, snaking down her neck. She shoved a hand under the mattress and found the blade. She whipped it out and dragged it across her already severely battered wrist. The cuts were almost halfway to her elbow by now.

She made a fresh divot in her graying and clamming skin and the blood stuck out like the blood in Sweeny Todd. It gave her a sense of calmness, so she continued to dig it into the flesh.

Why did Sharpay bring up Troy? Thinking of that, fresh tears fell from her face and fell to her forearm, mixing with the thick crimson substance that symbolized all her pain.

**Author's Note:** I wouldn't blame you if you hated this chapter, I do too. But please, please, please review! And I NEED IDEAS! If you have any, please send them to me, I'll credit you! Thanks so much and please review!


	10. Chapter 10: Beyond that Point

**Author's Note:** Please review. I NEED IDEAS FOR THIS STORY!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 10: Beyond that Point**

**By musiclover94 and Baby-M-xo**

_Last Chapter…_

She made a fresh divot in her graying and clamming skin and the blood stuck out like the blood in Sweeny Todd. It gave her a sense of calmness, so she continued to dig it into the flesh. Why did Sharpay bring up Troy? Thinking of that, fresh tears fell from her face and fell to her forearm, mixing with the thick crimson substance that symbolized all her pain.

--

Gabriella looked dizzily around her house. She hadn't been here for several weeks, and the open space, free of nurses and hospital beds and blood transfusions. She rubbed the pinpricks from the machines as she looked around the space.

Her mother had dropped her off at home, giving her a word of caution before running errands. Ha! Petty words couldn't help her now. It was beyond that point. If her mother didn't care about her, so one did.

She quickly walked up the steps to her bedroom and almost collapsed from drowsiness. She stopped herself from falling flat on her face by using her shaky, weak arm as a barrier. Her stomach landed somewhat lightly on the carpeted stair. Gabriella took no notice of it.

She stumbled to her door and pulled it open, revealing the somewhat familiar room behind it. Tears blinded her as she walked toward a cabinet and pulled out a CD of heavy metal rock music she had looted from her brother's room. She flipped it into her player and turned it up full volume. She barely noticed the ear-splitting din as she sauntered to her bed and sank into it, the tears finally falling thick and fast into her lap.

Her mind wandered distantly to conversations she had heard in the halls of East High before her breakdown after French. They had all been hushed hastily once the gossipers had realized she was approaching them. They gave her fake smiles as she walked by. Before they had stopped, Gabriella had caught the words 'Montez', 'Bolton', and 'breakup', and 'worst possible time, too'.

Her mind for once controlled her actions and she reached beneath her bed for the blade. It was still slightly coated with a somewhat hard layer of blood. She dragged it unevenly across her forearm and felt and saw the crimson substance pour out of her veins. She only felt a small indent of pain, and then a warm, numb feeling of relief and happiness.

The blood trickled off her arm onto the white sheet grotesquely. As she continued to drag the now dull from use silver across her once-perfect skin, the room spun in front of her, flying in and out of focus. Gabriella thought fuzzily of why they hadn't thought to search her room for anything dangerous to her. _Just another detail about why they don't care about you anymore. They'll probably kick you right out of the house when they find out what's between you and Troy…_

As she thought this, she stumbled clumsily to the door and pulled it open, and then walking down the stairs to the wine cellar for the next phase. She gripped the full bottle of vodka from the farthest corner and walked upstairs shakily again.

More numb feeling spread throughout her tattered veins as the alcohol coursed through her still-frail system as she quickly drank the whole bottle and drunkenly let it crash to the floor, sending glass all over her floor. It strangely resembled her heart, broken, shattered into unfixable pieces.

She was just going to pick up the blade again when she heard a frantic tap on her porch window. A voice that sounded like it was horrified, worried, and frantic at the same time, said loudly enough to be heard through the thick glass and over the loud music, "Gabriella?"

**Author's Note: **Please review. I need ideas.


	11. Chapter 11: Unexpected Visitor

**Author's Note:** Please review! Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

**Everyone Has a Problem**

**Chapter 11: Unexpected Visitor**

**By music is happiness and Baby-M-xo**

_Last Chapter…_

She was just going to pick up the blade again when she heard a frantic tap on her porch window. A voice that sounded like it was horrified, worried, and frantic at the same time, said loudly enough to be heard through the thick glass and over the loud music, "Gabriella?"

--

Her lank curls bounced against her back as she turned her head to see her unexpected visitor. He was easily identifiable by his bushy afro.

"Chad? What're you doing here?" she slurred. Realizing that he couldn't hear her through the thick panes, she got up, swaying on her feet. She leaned over and paused the music. She slowly walked to her balcony doors, her vision going in and out of focus. It took her several tries to open the door. When she succeeded, without any preamble, Chad burst.

"What the _hell _is going on here?"

Gabriella was unfazed. "What are you doing here?" She concentrated on every word, making it distinct, but she slipped up in some places.

"I heard loud, death metal music coming from your room and came over to investigate."

"How'd you hear it?" Another slip.

"We're neighbors, Gabriella." He looked at her strangely for not remembering this fact.

Gabriella nodded blearily.

"But what's going on here?" He looked over her head and she stupidly went on her toes to try and hide the evidence. Chad looked like someone had punched him in the gut when he saw the empty bottle of vodka and the bloody blade. He looked at her, demanding answers.

"I was…" Her mind worked into overdrive, trying to unearth a somewhat plausible excuse. "recycling used bottles." _Nice. Real nice. _She clamped her teeth together.

Chad rolled his eyes disbelievingly. "What about the jagged piece of metal?"

"I…couldn't get the cap off one of the bottles." She wanted to take back the words right after she said them. You probably didn't need to take the caps off the bottles before you recycle them.

"Ever heard of a set of hands?"

She didn't respond to the rhetorical question. Chad saw her exposed wrist and his expression of horror, if possible, increased.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Gabs? Are you suicidal?" It was a rhetorical question, but Gabriella replied to it anyway.

"No, I'm not." Her words were clipped, filled with anger.

Chad looked at her, horror-struck. She realized the impact of her own words and she grabbed the door handle instinctively.

"I have to go." She started to close the door on him. She might as well have had a huge sticker on her forehead that said 'Lie' for all the good her action did her. He pushed back against the door frame, hard.

"This is about Troy breaking up with you, isn't it?"

She nodded, unaware of the action.

Chad's murderous glare didn't need words to back it up. She succeeded with closing and locking the doors, pulling the blinds down in one swift motion. She turned around, tears falling down her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily. She needed to be in better control of her emotions.

She felt a kick in her stomach. A reflexive hand went down to the small bump and she sighed. Deciding she should take a test and end the mystery, she grabbed her car keys from her nightstand and headed out the door.

She should have just walked, but was too much a coward to have a chance, however slight, of facing any of her friends from East High until absolutely necessary. The vodka she had drunk was effecting her driving profusely. It was a sheer miracle that no cops had pulled her over.

The main door to Walgreen's tinkled an optimistic jingle, the complete opposite of Gabriella's pessimistic outlook on life. She quickly did a scan on the shoppers: no one she recognized.

She took a breath and went to the Personal Health aisle. She grabbed the first test box she saw and half-ran to the checkout. There were a few people in front of her, with a lot of items in their hands. A wave of impatience shot threw her and she looked at the white ceiling, tapping her foot quietly.

Finally, the old lady with three bags of cat litter walked to the door. Gabriella almost tripped in her haste to pay and leave. She was getting her wallet out of her purse when she heard her name called by the cashier. The voice belonged to the person she really didn't want to see right now, when she was buying a pregnancy test.

"Gabriella?" His voice sounded a little breathless, like he had just been punched in the gut, hard.

She looked at him, feeling like a bucket of ice-cold water had just been poured over her head. Her breathing stopped for a moment, then started at rapid speed. She dug a twenty out of purse, slammed it down on the counter, took the box from Troy's frozen hand, and bolted out of there before he could say anything else.

**Author's Note:** Please review!


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